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JAPAN / Politics
Jan 2, 2016

'15 saw Abe keep nationalism in check, reset Seoul, Beijing ties

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's diplomatic gains last year may give him momentum for the crucial Upper House election and his life-long ambition of revising the Constitution.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Dec 31, 2015

The issues that grabbed you or got your goat in the Year of the Sheep

Readers praise and pan Community articles from the past 12 months.
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Dec 30, 2015

Views from Nagoya: What did you make of 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'?

Cinemagoers offer their opinions after a showing of the much-anticipated seventh installment in the 'Star Wars' saga.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 30, 2015

Georgia, with eye on 2016 election, switches prime minister

Lawmakers in Georgia voted on Tuesday to approve Georgi Kvirikashvili as the ex-Soviet state's new prime minister, an appointment widely seen as an attempt to boost the ruling coalition's flagging popularity amid an economic slump.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 28, 2015

Trump chides Rubio-endorsing Republican panel chief's Benghazi probe debacle

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump assailed a leading committee chairman in Congress on Sunday for backing Marco Rubio, Trump's rival for the party's nomination.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 27, 2015

The folly of a British 'Brexit'

A British exit from the European Union would have dire consequences.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 24, 2015

Re-print of Hitler's 'Mein Kampf' unleashes row in Germany

For the first time since Adolf Hitler's death, Germany is publishing the Nazi leader's political treatise "Mein Kampf," unleashing a highly charged row over whether the text is an inflammatory racist diatribe or a useful educational tool.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Dec 23, 2015

On a Christmas visit, expat thoughts turn to 'going home'

Reconnecting with home can be a cause for reflection: Where have I been, and where am I going? Is there another life to return to?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 22, 2015

Plenty of food for thought in a good year for great plays

The year now ending began gloomily with the Charlie Hebdo murders in Paris reminding us of hopeless breakdowns in mutual understanding and tolerance worldwide; now it's set to close hot on the heels of an agreement by nearly 200 countries at the COP21 talks in Paris on the need to counter threatened...
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 21, 2015

Japan's married-name law isn't just about names

The Supreme Court's ruling on surnames raises a fascinating question: How much should a constitution reflect the distinctive values of a society and how much should it express universal rights?
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Dec 21, 2015

Let's discuss the Akatsuki space probe

Japan's space agency says its Akatsuki probe has successfully entered into orbit around Venus.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 20, 2015

Young music fans found their voices in 2015

The music industry in Japan has long been seen as lagging behind the times. Once every six months there is an article that marvels at the supremacy of CDs, and new albums from acts that were big in the 1990s tend to dominate charts alongside idol-pop groups that few would label "musically progressive."...
WORLD
Dec 18, 2015

Luxury brands shower attention on well-heeled Chinese students in U.S.

Sellers of Western luxury brands eager to capitalize on the new wealth of Chinese consumers are showering attention on mainland students in the United States, even as sales in China falter.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 17, 2015

Japan, Indonesia hold first two-plus-two talks, agree to work toward transfer of defense weapons

Japan and Indonesia held their first "two-plus-two" meetings of foreign and defense ministers in Tokyo on Thursday, agreeing to work on a pact that could allow to Japan to export some defense weapons and technologies to Indonesia.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 16, 2015

Japan's top court upholds same-name rule for married couples, overturns remarriage moratorium for women

The Supreme Court confirms the constitutionality of a controversial law requiring married couples to use the same surname in official matters.
Japan Times
JAPAN / INVEST IN ITALY 2015
Dec 15, 2015

Italy back on track, open for business

The message from Benedetto Della Vedova, the undersecretary of Italy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, is, "Italy is back."
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 14, 2015

Trump calls Cruz 'maniac' in Senate as tea party Texan takes Iowa poll lead

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump had a new target on Sunday, calling fellow White House contender Ted Cruz a "a little bit of a maniac" as the U.S. senator surpassed him in an Iowa presidential poll.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Dec 12, 2015

Gerald Curtis, the ultimate insider in Japanese politics, retires

Gerald Curtis will retire this month from Columbia University, where he has been teaching since 1968.
Reader Mail
Dec 12, 2015

Turkey justified in downing plane

Having read the two articles in the Nov. 27 edition of The Japan Times, namely "With friends like Turkey, who needs enemies?" by Doug Bandow and "Erdogan aims to derail Russia-NATO alliance" by Gwynne Dyer, I could not help but criticize your approach of supporting President Vladimir Putin's policies...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Dec 12, 2015

What would happen in a region ruled by France's far right?

Marion Marechal-Le Pen, the niece of National Front leader Marine Le Pen and the French far right's rising star, might well walk up the steps of the Cannes Film Festival next spring as leader of the region if she wins elections on Sunday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 11, 2015

Secrets law, one year later

The controversial state secret law that took effect last year has already had a chilling effect on the media: no one is even talking about it anymore.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 10, 2015

Netanyahu chat still on but calls mount in Israel, U.K. to ban Trump over Muslim slurs

Donald Trump's proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States prompted calls that the Republican presidential front-runner be banned from Britain and Israel and cost him business in the Middle East.
BUSINESS
Dec 9, 2015

Low tax on food will hurt the poor, say economists

Political negotiations between the nation's ruling coalition are approaching a showdown over the unpopular consumption tax, which is set to rise to 10 percent from 8 percent in April 2017. A sweetener being considered has drawn scathing criticism from many economists.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Dec 9, 2015

Sexual harassment at bōnenkai, inept handling, a suicide

Hokkaido Shimbun case shows how far Japan still has to go to safeguard women's rights in the workplace.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 9, 2015

'Comet' is not your typical feel-good love story

A personal theory of mine is that all relationships are phases we go through. Though not all phases are equal — some are more memorable than others. To Kimberly (Emmy Rossum) and Dell (Justin Long) in "Comet," their relationship was a long, incredibly eventful phase that neither of them ever really...
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 8, 2015

Once a fixture, climate skeptics say they are being stifled at Paris summit

To be a climate change skeptic in Paris this week means facing heavy odds.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 7, 2015

Why Putin makes a bad ally in the war with IS

Russia's interests in Syria drastically differ from those of the West.
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 7, 2015

China tells military officers not to whine about reforms

High-ranking officers in the Chinese army must hold their tongues about concerns over military reform and lead from the front to ensure the rank and file are on board, the People's Liberation Army said on Monday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 5, 2015

Push for balance can lead to a skewed view

In September, public broadcaster NHK aired a documentary that recounted the news events from the capital this summer. One of the segments focused on the continuing protests led by college students in central Tokyo against the controversial security bills the ruling Liberal Democratic Party had yet to...

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years